One Hell Of A Wolf
by half-demon girl
Summary: Even the famous One Hell of a Butler that can do anything still needs a hand every now and then.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone at the Phantomhive manor was running ragged, trying so hard to accomplish the ever growing list of chores their master continually pressed onto them. The poor servants barely had enough time to eat or even stop to breathe, for that matter, before their Lord or his head butler had to tell them to pick up the pace. Heck, even the head butler was running himself wary. The head of the Phantomhive manor began to notice more and more accidents happening around the manor then there normally would be. The red head maid, Mey-rin, was more clumsy than usual and the Lord found himself watching her stumble up the stairs four times along the same stair case. Not only that, but she forgot how many plates were to be set around the table, she would stumble over flat surfaces more, but mostly was the fact that she would come into a room and completely forget why she came in there in the first place or without a duster or broom. He noticed the blonde haired man, Finnian, who tended the gardens on the property, would over weed and begin to pull out plants that were painstakingly placed and cared for. However the biggest hint was when he noticed his butler, Sebastian, continually forgetting tea, messing up on his beloved violin, or trying to stifle back a yawn or trying to hide it. It was the last straw when Mey-rin tripped on the stairs and tried to get up but fell asleep on them.

"That does it!" The Phantomhive's young master shouted, his voice ringing through the halls, waking Mey-rin and snapping the others to look at him.

"My lord?" Sebastian asked as he walked after the young boy to a study room where he quickly wrote up a letter on a scroll and shoved it in Sebastian's face.

"Take this and make sure it gets to the letter carrier." He demanded of his tall butler.

"Yes, young master." Sebastian bowed deeply and walked out making sure the letter got to the carrier and got to its destination with haste and urgency.

* * *

A young woman let out a sigh as she reread the scroll in front of her before she entered the property containing the large manor. She sighed again as she looked at the mansion as she began to roll up the scroll and tucked it into her bag on the ground. She placed the back of her black gloved hand to her nose. "I'm just outside and this place already reeks," She stated with a look of disgust on her face. She had a black bag with another long bag going diagonally across her back slung over her shoulders. She bent down and picked up the larger one on the ground before heading up the road to the large building in the distance. She wasn't dressed in a normal woman attire of the era. She wore black boots and a white button down shirt that was tucked into her black pants all covered over with a black trench coat. She had long brown hair that was in a tight braid going to the middle of her back. She approached the manor and glanced at her surroundings, trying to familiarize herself with the surrounding landscape. She came to a stop at the base of the stone steps as she stared at the large doors.

The bushes began to rustle on her right, causing her to look over at them. A silver haired man poked his head out of the bushes and growled at her. She glared at him and raised her lip, baring her right canine at him. With this expression, the man was sent whimpering and running to the back of the property. Sighing, she walked up the steps. She examined the door at eye level before raising her hand and making three loud knocks. She waited for several minutes before the large door opened revealing a red headed short girl in a maids outfit with glasses.

"Yes?" Her voice asked as she peeked out from behind the door.

"Uh, yes. I was told to come to the Phantomhive manor and talk to the person who owns the place." The brunette stated to the red head as she reached into her coat and pulled out a piece of parchment between her right index and middle finger that held the address of the manor. The red head reached out and gently took the piece of paper in her hands and read the piece quickly before smiling.

"Yes, please do come in!" She beamed and bowed before getting out of the way and letting the woman into the large manor. The woman walked in and looked around before stopping and looking up.

'This place reeks even more than I thought,' The brunette thought. She brought the back of her right hand up to her nose again and made a slightly disgusted face. She heard the large door close behind her and let her hand fall back to her side before looking over her left shoulder as the red head trotted up next to her.

"Please, right this way miss." The red head stated as she began to walk into the heart of the manor. The woman followed the red head through the hallways. She came to an elegant wooden door that looked much like the others along the hall. She turned and bowed to her. "Please wait here a moment." She knocked on the door.

"Come in," A young male voice called.

"My lord," The red head stated as she opened the door and bowed. "Someone is here to see you."

"Bring them in," The voice sighed. The red head bowed before turning around and bowing to the woman outside the door, motioning her to come in. The woman walked into the room and the red head shut the door. The woman bowed slightly after being amazed at the young age of the person in charge. The red head approached the young boy in a large throne like chair in the library looking study. She handed him the piece of paper, which he quickly glanced at and then set down on the arm rest of his chair. "Ah, yes, I requested a presence but…" He stopped and eyed the woman up and down. "I was expecting some one stronger, and not a woman." He was blunt and to the point.

"I am sorry to disappoint you," The woman gave a slight bow with her head. "But, I AM the best there is." She looked up and smiled at the young boy. "What you requested in your letter is what you get, though you didn't mention the gender." The woman pulled out the scroll from her bag that she set down on the floor and held it out. "And, as you requested, all of your priorities have been met and more." The woman let the scroll unravel slightly. "I, myself, looked it over twice making sure no detail went unchecked." She stepped closer and gave a slight bow before handing the boy the scroll. "I took the liberty of writing everything down, I hope it is to your liking." The blue grey haired boy scanned the document over. "And of course, at the bottom are my colleagues' signatures approving of the material that has been written. And of course, the seal." The boy eyed the seal carefully to make sure it was correct. Indeed it was the one and only.

"Ugh!" The boy gasped in shock as he read some of the jobs and signatures. He was in awe at how many names were written on the piece before him. "Emperor Gaungxu, Emperor Tongzhi, Prime Minister Gladstone, Prime Minister Gascoyne-Cecil, Prime Minister Disraeli, Queen Victoria, Emperor Meiji."

"Ah, yes," She smiled and scratched her cheek, looking off to her left. "Those are some of the people I work for. You see, I travel to where ever I am needed. So, I am highly regarded and top priority for almost any situation." Ciel looked up at the listings.

"You were there when the Queen was almost assassinated?" Ciel asked, looking over the scroll at the woman in front of him.

"Ah, yes, Queen Victoria," She bowed slightly with her right arm across her waist. "Sadly, no, however, she is one of my biggest clients. I became one of her personal body guards after she became very fond of myself and my colleagues when we were hired for extra security." Ciel let the scroll hang over the arm of his chair and laid his head on his right hand.

"I also see the assassinations," Ciel smirked. "How do I know you aren't trying to kill me?"

"Trust me," The woman's mouth made a lopsided smirk, "You would have already been dead."

"I highly doubt that. How do I know you aren't taking your time?" He retorted, a smirk creeping across his features.

"I do my work quickly and efficiently Phantomhive." She stated in a stern tone. "I get my jobs done. And as for who I work for, I work for me, and me alone." She said as she turned her back and walked back to her bag before picking it up.

"Does our mysterious assassin come with a name or am I just going to have to call you something random?" Ciel sneered.

"Rai," She stated simply over her shoulder.

Ciel smirked before addressing the red head, "Mey-rin!" He snapped. "Take our guest to her room and get her fitted."

"Y-y-yes, sir!" She stammered. "Right away, sir!" She bowed and quickly went to the door and opened it. Rai began to walk to the door before she stopped and spoke over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Ciel," She said. Ciel's eye widened when she called his name. She held up her left hand holding a pistol by its barrel. "This gun you were brandishing isn't good for a boy like you to be carrying around something dangerous like this. You could get hurt." She stated, almost mockingly. Okay, yes, she was mocking him. Ciel's eye went wider as he looked down at where his pistol was supposed to be between the cushion and the armrest. It wasn't. Ciel snapped his head back up as he saw Rai lay the pistol down on the ledge of a table before walking through the door and leaving. Mey-rin closed the door as Ciel smiled and sat back in his chair. Several minutes later, Sebastian showed up with his tea and Ciel still smiling to the door.

"My lord, your tea is Earl Gray," Sebastian said. He looked up from the tray at Ciel who was looking in front of him with a smile he knew all too well to be mischievous. "My lord, is everything alright?" He questioned as he looked to his right at the door Ciel had been staring at. He gave a slight glare to the door as his nose picked up a barely noticeable scent.

"Everything is going to be just fine," Ciel smirked. Sebastian couldn't help but look at the writing that was scrolled across the parchment draped over the armrest of the chair as he set the tray down. The thing he noticed most were all the names and stamped seals. Ciel was up to something, but what?


	2. Chapter 2

"Right this way, M'lady!" Mey-rin chimed as she happily walked down the corridor before turning to a darkly stained wooden door and opening it. Rai flinched slightly at the statement. Rai walked through the doors and was greeted with a luxurious room with a full size bath attached to it and a balcony overlooking the forest. It was decorated in reds mostly; the curtains, rug, wall paper, quilt, drapes hanging from the dark stained wood over the bed. Rai turned to the girl behind her and gave a nod.

"Thank you, it's lovely." Rai stated. She turned and set her bags down by a dresser on the wall to the left of the door. Then she moved to the closet on the other side of the door in the corner facing perpendicular to the wall against the hall. She opened it and placed her long bag in there before taking off her coat and hanging it up and closing the closet. She turned and approached Mey-rin after she had a quick look around. "Alright, I'm ready to go." She said looking from over her shoulder at the balcony to the maid and smiling.

"Right this way." Mey-rin bowed and headed out the door, closing it after Rai exited. Mey-rin trotted down the hall and around a corner before entering another room. Rai just heard a door open and saw a flash of the maid's dress go into a room as she rounded the corner. She stepped through the threshold and was bombarded with a maid's outfit. "Here! Try this on!"

"Uh," Rai stopped and stared at the mound of clothing. "O-kay…" There was a screen which Rai could change behind. She stepped out. "Uh, it's too short, but fits fine." Rai stated, pulling the hem of the dress down, or trying to, it was almost at knee height.

"Oh, my! Here let me try another!" Mey-rin gasped and scrambled for another dress.

"Too loose up top," Rai stated as she pulled out almost half a foot of fabric from her side. "The length is good though." Mey-rin scrambled around trying to find the perfect one. "Too small," was the next, Rai didn't have to even put it on to see that. "Too long," Rai almost tripped over the hem. "Too… lewd…" Rai stated just looking at the outfit.

"Awe," Mey-rin sighed. "Nothing here fits you!" She whined as she went through the dresses again. It was true. Rai did have a slightly unusual body type, though she was tall, she was mostly leg and a small torso. She didn't have womanly curves of one her age, but she had some hip and a slight waist. Rai looked past Mey-rin and caught several glimpses from the candle light of some clothing.

"Hey, what's this?" Rai asked, she was back in her shirt and pants. She picked up the candle and held it up to see some extra butlers' uniforms. Knowing her size in men's clothing, since she had worn them before, she began to browse. "Let's try these on," Rai stated as she handed the candle to the klutzy maid. Rai began to pull down a couple shirts, vests and pants.

"Oh, no! Wait!" Mey-rin squeaked trying to stop her. "Those are men's clothes!" She put a hand on Rai's arm to stop her. Rai looked at her hand then her face.  
"I know, but since there isn't a dress here that fits me, why not try something a little different?" She asked with a smile.

"Oh, okay…" Mey-rin hesitated but then let Rai do her picking. After she was satisfied with the clothes, she went behind the screen and tried them on. Mey-rin waited, a little nervous.

"How do I look?" Rai asked as she stepped out from behind the screen.

"Awe!" Mey-rin's face lit up. Rai smiled. "You look wonderful!" Rai had on a white button down shirt with a folded collar and button sleeves, under a black one button waist coat that complimented her slight waistline superbly, and a pair of black dress pants. Rai even changed her braid into a high ponytail which, in Mey-rin's opinion, looked nice.

"I even found some extras in the same size, even with a small grey vertical pinstripe." She said as she looked at herself in the mirror before turning back to Mey-rin. Mey-rin was seeing stars behind her glasses. Now all that was needed were socks and shoes. "Uh, now we need shoes and socks." Rai said and looked at the red head who was almost drooling. "Uh… Mey-rin?" Rai asked snapping the red head out of a trance like state.

"Oh, yes, that's right! Shoes!" Mey-rin set the candle down before diving into the darkness and pulling out several boxes and rushing back, tripping and falling in the process. "Woah!" Rai turned and snatched the three small boxes, quickly stacking them and catching the larger box on its end. "Whew, that was a close one." Mey-rin said from the ground. Rai sighed. She had her work cut out for her. "Wow! You caught that just like Sebastian does!"

"Who?" Rai asked as she set the boxes down looking at them. She opened them and saw black shoes she knew would kill her if she even dared to walk in them. She came to a pair of lace up ankle boots that she liked.

"Sebastian! Only the greatest butler here! And in the world!" Mey-rin chirped, blushing red.

"Sounds like a nice guy," She said putting the other two boxes aside and opening the tall box with knee high boots. "Hopefully I'll get to meet him." She said looking at the size. '40, perfect!' She thought. Rai picked up the other pair she liked and asked, "Mey-rin, do you have any of these in a size 40?" Rai showed her the pair.

"Of course!" She said happily as she jumped up and ran to the shoes again. "And of course you'll get to meet him on the tour!"

"Tour?" Rai asked the girl.

"Yep! I'll show you around the whole place and introduce you to everyone!" Mey-rin said as she came back with two boxes of the same shoe. Rai traded the two with a 'Thank you' for the three that she didn't want. Rai then pulled on black socks and pulled and laced up the ankle high bots before Mey-rin came back out with several more boxes with several packages of white and black gloves on top of them.

"Whoa, careful there!" Rai warned as she took the boxes from Mey-rin when they were about to fall. Mey-rin whined. Rai then maneuvered her foot and was able to kick up the three boxes on the floor onto the pile. "Why don't you just open the door for me?" Mey-rin's eyes lit up.

"We'll drop these off in your room and be on our way!" Mey-rin said, grabbing the candle and opening the door for Rai, before blowing it out. While walking to her room, Rai only could dread what most of the manor would be like, mostly empty useless rooms. Once in the room Mey-rin helped Rai put the boxes away in the closet. Rai smiled and stood up, hands on her hips.

"Well, that does it." She smiled at their work. She turned to Mey-rin, still on the ground. "So, how about that tour?" Mey-rin jumped up and grabbed Rai by the wrist and pulled her out of the room with a grin on her face and Rai telling her to 'slow down!'

Mey-rin stopped by every single room on each floor and opened each door for Rai to look into, and, just like Rai predicted, most of the rooms were full of storage items. The rooms she was more interested in was the study, library, music room, art room, dining room, cleaning closets, and of course the kitchen. Mey-rin introduced Rai to the two men and one young boy in the kitchen. "Rai-sama, this is the Finny, who tends to the garden. Bard who maintains the kitchen. And Tanaka, who over looks everything." Rai was greeted with hellos and she bowed to them. Mey-rin then pulled her to the front door. "And this," She opened the door to reveal the outside. "is the front door and our garden surrounds the place!" Rai stepped out into the sun and looked around. "Huh, that's funny." Mey-rin put a finger to her chin.

"What's funny?" Rai turned to look at her over her shoulder and asked.

"I haven't seen Sebastian or Pluto," Mey-rin stated.

"Who?" Rai asked cocking an eyebrow.

"The head butler and our guard dog!" Mey-rin waved a hand at Rai.

"Oh," Rai turned to face front.

"Would you like me to show you around the garden?" Mey-rin asked.

Rai shook her head, "No, that's alright. I already kept you away from your duties long enough. I'll look around myself." Rai smiled.

"Alrighty then!" Mey-rin waved as she turned back into the manor and left Rai. Rai turned forward and her face fell serious as she made her way to her left and around the property. She walked around, noting every single detail about the property. She made her way to the back of the manor.

* * *

While on the first floor tending to his master's whims, Sebastian noticed someone walk by the window. He walked over to it and looked out it, left and right. There was that faint scent again. He glared to his left towards the back of the manor before closing the windows and locking them.

* * *

Rai followed the path, looking around at everything when she noticed a shadow moving. She watched it walk towards her. It wasn't a shadow, it was a black cat. "Awe, hey there, little one." She said sweetly as she crouched down and stuck out her right index finger for it to sniff. It rubbed up against her hand and came in closer. "Awe, you're a sweetie aren't you?" She asked it as it came closer and she scratched its head and back.

* * *

Sebastian was carrying a tray back to the kitchen when a figure outside caught his eye. It was a cat! A cat being pet by some random person. 'Wait, who is that?' He wondered as he set down the tray and walked to the back doors to investigate.

* * *

"You are just the sweetest little thing, aren't you?" Rai asked the cat and it meowed back at her, purring happily. "So, can you tell me about this place?" She asked the cat as it mewed and moved its head along her fingers for a good scratch and rolled over for a belly rub. It purred the entire time. "Really? Now that is interesting." She stated to the cat as it let out another meow. Rai kept playing with the black fur ball as she felt a presence behind her. The cat jumped into her lap and she stood up as she felt it draw nearer.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are and what you are doing here?" He asked in a stern voice.

"Now, now, don't be so judgmental." Rai stated as she turned around, scratching the cat's chin in her arms. Sebastian glared at her for having the cat. "Oh, come now, what's with the glare?" She teased him. "I haven't done anything wrong." She stated as a matter of fact like. She continued to scratch the black purring fluff in her arms. "And besides, it is always proper to introduce yourself first before asking others their names." Rai was still keen on the cat that turned over in her arms for a belly rub.

"I see, you're not from around here, are you? Your dialect is different, yet you speak our language quite clearly." Sebastian mentioned, still stern. "Alright, I'll tell you my name as long as you tell me yours and why you are here." He said before he bowed at the waist with his right hand across his body. "I am the head butler of this estate, Sebastian Michaelis." He stood up straight.

"Sebastian… Sebastian…" Rai said his name several times trying to think of where she heard it before. "Ah, yes, now I remember." The cat turned and climbed up onto her shoulders, standing and rubbing against her head. "She told me about you." Rai mentioned as she scratched the cat's cheek. "So, you're the famous 'One hell of a butler', I presume?" Rai asked as she stretched her right arm out as the cat began to walk on it.

"Yes, I am, now tell me who you are." He demanded.

"Patience, patience. I was getting to it." Rai mocked him slightly. The cat turned around, came back and laid on Rai's left shoulder, draping itself there. She scratched its head. "It's a pleasure to meet you Sebastian." Rai stated giving a small bow. "My name is Rai and I hear you already know my friend." She continued to scratch the cat. "And your little boy in the manor there hired me." There was a silence between the two. He kept glaring at her. Rai didn't like the feeling of his eyes boring into her. She glared at him out of the corner of her right eye. "What do you want crow? A hand out?"

"You still haven't answered my question, why are you here, mutt?" Sebastian was almost on the verge of yelling at her.

"Awe, now that hurts," Rai whined slightly as she dropped her head. The cat rubbed up against her wanting more attention since she suddenly stopped. She looked back up at the cat. "I was hired to be an extra for the hellish butler of Phantomhive." She scratched the cat before it slowly started to crawl down. She crouched so the black cat could jump down with ease and not get hurt, before she stood back up. "But, I should be asking you why you are here?" The cat walked over to Sebastian and rubbed up against his legs. He crouched down and picked it up. "Is it that contract on your left hand there?" Rai asked crossing her arms as he stood up straight and stroked the black cat.

"You damn dogs keep sticking your noses in places where they don't belong," He growled slightly at her.

"Again, I am deeply saddened by the fact you haven't figured me out yet." Rai said, slightly let down. "Oh well, that leaves several last options. For, now that you know I'm not a mere dog." She teased, wagging her finger at him. "And, I gave you my name, didn't I? You should have put the pieces together already if you haven't crow." She teased him. "You should at least know who I am by now with those snide canine remarks," She sneered, showing her sharp canines. Sebastian had a cold shiver run up his spine. He closed his eyes and set the cat down. He stood up.

"This is your last warning, tell me, why are you here?" Sebastian kept a cool demeanor on the outside while he was battling his inner demon to attack the female demon, who stood in front of him.

'Oh, for the love of-' "I already told you," Rai said as she approached him and passed him before stopping several feet behind him. "I was hired by that brat of a boy you call a lord." She said to him so only they could hear, a smirk still plaguing her features.

Sebastian tensed, "You're here for his blood." He glanced over his shoulder.

"Tuh!" Rai let out a slight chuckle. "Sorry to say, but I don't have any interest in human blood. And I don't plan on fighting you in your condition." Rai closed her eyes and tilted her head down.

'Damn, how did she know?' Sebastian questioned himself.

"So you can relax, I'm not going to do any harm to anyone of your friends here. I make a living protecting their sorry asses." Rai said dully.

Suddenly, the doors opened and Mey-rin comes out yelling, "Rai-sama!" Rai gritted her teeth behind a fake smile and turned around to face Sebastian, who was now facing the manor.

"So, you are Lady Rai." Sebastian asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"The one and only, but let's just keep that a secret between us two demons now, shall we?" She put a finger to her lips and winked before turning and heading towards the manor and Mey-rin. Sebastian watched her and Mey-rin enter the manor and disappear before he too went into the manor and disappeared behind the closing doors.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Rai had gotten up bright and early, much earlier than some of the others. She had begun by starting to prepare the kitchen for breakfast to be cooked; she wiped down the dining room table and began to set out a place for the boy as soon as Mey-rin, Finny, Bard, and Tanaka poked their heads in through the door. "Good morning everyone!" Rai smiled and closed her eyes. They couldn't believe it, she was getting almost everything done! "Could you guys tell me what hasn't been done in a while around the manor?" She asked them as she finished the setting. And of course everyone was set off to work. "Finny, make sure that all the garden is watered, soil treated and weeds pulled." She told the boy. "Bard, make sure that the kitchen wear, pots, and pans stay clean and ready for use. I have already cleaned and prepped everything, so just be ready to clean once something gets dirty." She told the blonde haired man as he saluted and rushed off to his destination. "Tanaka," She just stared at him as he took a sip of his tea, "Good work! And Mey-rin, you and I are going to do some serious cleaning around the manor." Rai winked at Mey-rin with a smile.

Sebastian went downstairs to see everyone busy doing something. However, what shocked him the most was that the kitchen was prepared for use. Everything was within reach or slight walking distance and Bard was sitting by the sink, waiting for a dirty pot or pan to clean. It was just a simple task, but it kept him busy and out of trouble. He brought the master tea and was surprised to see his place already set. This started to get on his nerves a little.

Mey-rin and Rai were in the galley by the entrance of the manor. Rai was up on a tall ladder cleaning the dusty cobwebs off the chandelier, while gripping the ladder until her hand cramped and knuckles turned white. Oh, how she hated heights. Mey-rin just stood there at the base of the ladder, making sure she didn't fall. Next were the columns, followed by the doors, windows, floors, and railings. The pictures would be taken care of later. They cleaned the entire galley just before lunch time.

"Oh, wow, Rai-sama, you're amazing!" Mey-rin said happily.

"Awe, it was nothing," Rai said, scratching the back of her neck. Suddenly the door opened and it was Finny who was about to step in with muddy boots.

"Ah, I'm so hungry," Finny said. Rai glared at him. He was about to put one foot down onto the clean floor when Rai swooped in quickly and placed her right index finger on his forehead, stopping him before he could ruin the sparkling floor. He opened his eyes in surprise and saw Rai standing there with a slight glare of annoyance on her face, her right arm extended to his forehead and her left hand on her hip.

"Ahem," Rai coughed slightly and motioned with her eyes down to his muddy boots. Finnian looked down before forcing his weight backwards and onto the porch outside.

"Ah, sorry about that," Finny stated.

"Go clean them off outside and before you come in, take them off, or I'll have you cleaning up your mess that you dragged in here." Rai said sternly as she turned and looked at him over her right shoulder.

"Yes, ma'm, right away ma'm." Finny quickly bowed and rushed to hose his boots off.

"Whew, that was a close one, that was," Mey-rin sighed as she leaned against the broom handle before it slid and she fell flat on her face. Rai looked at Mey-rin on the floor and sighed. Finny came back and took his boots off before entering the household. Bard came in with something he was eating and Tanaka in toe.

"Wow, this place looks amazing, guys!" Bard was in awe at how clean everything was.

"Oh, ho, ho," Tanaka approved with his chuckle before sipping his tea.

Rai glared at Bard, "You best make sure no crumbs get on this floor, Bard or you'll be cleaning this entire floor again." Bard gulped and quickly forced down the last of his, what appeared to be, pastry. Ciel was talking to Sebastian about something as they came down the left flight of stairs before turning to the front and opening his eye. He stopped and gasped in awe.

"My lord?" Sebastian asked, looking at Ciel then looking up. His jaw dropped slightly. The entire galley was spotless. Everyone was looking to Ciel and Sebastian on the stair way. Everyone bowed except Rai.

"Good afternoon, master," They chimed, only Tanaka did his famous soft chuckle. Ciel quickly regained his composure before descending the last of the stairs. Sebastian looked around and gave a slight glare to the brown haired woman who had her arms crossed. She returned the glare as he, too, descended the stairs behind Ciel.

"I see everything is going well, is it not?" Ciel asked his servants. "It seems to me, that all you needed was an extra stern hand to whip you into shape." Ciel commented as he continued past them and to the dining room. As Sebastian followed Ciel, he kept his eyes forward and on his master, but as he passed Rai, they both shot each other glares, before quickly returning to where they were previously looking. "Since you are all have caught up with the schedule, you may take a lunch break until 1, then it is back to your duties." Ciel and Sebastian kept walking.

"Yes, sir!" The trio said enthusiastically.

"Come along, M'lady! Let's go eat!" Mey-rin grabbed Rai by the hand and went to take off, but Rai's hand slipped easily out of hers. Mey-rin stopped and turned to see what was wrong.

"That's alright, you guys go ahead." Rai stated, placing her hands on her hips. "I haven't had much of an appetite lately, so I'll continue with the chores."

"Are you sure, Rai-sama?" Finny asked. Rai nodded with a smile and turned around to head to the library.

"I'll be in the library and start heading towards the front of the manor if I get done before break is over." She stated over her shoulder. She began to walk to the back of the manor and disappearing down the hall.

"She's kinda weird, isn't she." Bard stated, hands behind his head. Tanaka just chuckled a bit.

Rai made her way back to the library and opened the door. She could smell a hint of dust. She closed the door as she leaned against it, hearing it click. She sighed, dropping her head. "Now, I can really get to work." She stood up from the door and flung out her right hand and the windows blew open, allowing fresh air in and the dust a way out. Several rags she had in her back pockets floated up and began to take a life of their own.

The three went separate ways, one when to the very top of the shelves and got in the tightest crevices up against the ceiling while one went along the spines and tops of books and the last was taking a thin layer of dust off all the top surfaces near the floor.

The furniture floated up as the rug pulled itself free and went outside to flap itself out, ridding itself of dust and debris. It came back in and floated slightly as a broom and dust pan took a quick sweep along the floor followed by a mop and dry towel. The rug laid down where it used to be and the furniture was slowly set back into place.

The toppings on the furniture still floated as more rags came around and wiped them down and rid them of any finger prints.

The rags went outside and shook violently to rid themselves of the dust they collected before returning to dust some more.

Rai just stood there and monitored the entire process.

The dust pan and broom went outside to the very edge of the tree line and deposited dust outside while the dirty mop and bucket followed them, wringing and dumping themselves dry before all returning to the room.

Everything began to settle down as the broom, pan, mop, and bucket came back and placed themselves in the closet and closing the door.

Rai sighed as the last vase set itself down gently on the end table. She turned to the door and opened it, she glanced at the grandfather clock, it only took her fifteen minutes to clean that entire room. Rai gave a slight shrug as she exited the room, closing the windows and the door at the same time.

The next was the study. This one was much quicker, less surfaces to clean, but slightly challenging because she had to organize some papers that were scattered across the desk. Again, her rags came alive as she opened the windows.

The papers floated into a neatly organized pile and stacked themselves neatly on the center of the desk. Quills, excess papers, miscellaneous things filed themselves away. Drawers opened and closed. Books floated across the room to set themselves on the shelves where they belonged. Brooms and dust pans moved across the floor to rid the wood of debris and dumped it back outside where it came from.

Rai was done with this room in roughly five minutes. She continued room to room. She finally had roughly twenty minutes to waste, which she found herself snooping around the cleaned music room. She looked around at the shelves full of composition. She ran her fingers along the files, ranging from Mozart to Bach to Chopin to Beethoven and more. However, what she was mostly interested in were the instruments that were in the room. There was a violin case, a cello case, a bass case, and several other cases.

But Rai was mostly interested in the large black grand piano by the outer wall lined with windows. She glanced into the open panel, it was clean. She ran her hand along it as she moved to the front of it. She ran her hand along the keyboard protector before opening it. She hit middle C and held it, letting it ring. She then hit C,E,G chord. It was in tune. She pulled out the bench to sit down and rested her hands on the keys. She began to fiddle around, getting used to the keys before she sighed. She took as breath and placed her right foot over the peddles and began to play a beautiful soft tune of Mozart's. Of course, her solo didn't go unnoticed. The four nosey servants finally found where she was after checking all the clean rooms. They spied on her through the crack in the door. Her fingers glided across the keyboard creating such a beautiful melody and sound.

"That's amazing," Finnian stated in hushed awe, so she didn't hear.

"It's beautiful," Mey-rin said dreamily as she clasped her hands together.

"She's good," was all Bard could say.

"Oh, ho, ho," Tanaka quietly laughed as he showed up in an orchestra conductor's uniform and waved a baton along with the music. They were there for a good minute, maybe more before Sebastian came up with his arms crossed, glaring at them.

"What are you four doing?" He sighed. The four quickly jumped up frightened and in shock.

"Se-se-Sebastian," Mey-rin stuttered, still trying to stay quiet.

"What's going on that you four are so enthralled?" He asked as he approached the door and was about to push it open. Yes he did hear the music, but it didn't faze him.

"I-I-it's Rai-sama," Finnian stuttered out.

"She's playing such lovely music, she is," Mey-rin said dreamily again. She clasped her hands together again. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly before he walked a little further and looked through the opening the four recently were looking through. He looked in and was slightly amazed, his eyes trained on the woman as her hands moved fluidly along the ivory keys. Sebastian straightened up a little and went to open the door. "No, wait!" Mey-rin tried to stop him, but he pushed open the door fully.

"I was wondering how long you guys were going to just stand there and listen." Rai's voice drifted over the sweet melody of Mozart's tune. Sebastian still had his hand on the door. He was staring at the girl who continued, without faltering, to play. The four peaked in around the frame of the door behind Sebastian and watched as Rai continued her song. Mey-rin leaned over so much that she lost her balance and fell on to Finnian who fell onto Tanaka. Rai glanced at the loud thud, still not faltering, and looked back at the keys. It was a good minute or two before she came to the ritardando in the piece, signaling the end, and slowly and gradually and smoothly hit the notes until she hit the bass notes and the last high chord and let it ring with the sustainer peddle she had pressed down with her right foot. As her right hand left the keys, her right foot released the peddle and she opened her eyes and looked over to Sebastian and the four snoopers. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"The master wishes to speak to you in the dining room." Sebastian stated.

"Alright," Rai sighed as she stood up, placing the keyboard protector down and tucking in the bench before exiting the music room. She closed the door behind her. Sebastian led the way as Rai followed and the four walked behind her, quite a considerable distance. "I'm not going to bite your heads off for listening, if that's what you're thinking." She said over her shoulder to the curious four, who jumped slightly at her statement. "However, it would have been nice to open the door and come in and not be so secretive and hide." They came to the dining room, Sebastian opened the door and ushered Rai in. He turned and glared at the four, signaling them not to listen before he himself, walked in and shut the door.

"You wished to speak with me?" Rai asked as she gave a slight bow. Sebastian walked around her and took up his place next the Ciel.

"Ah, yes I did," Ciel stated simply. "I was wondering how everything was coming along, since I began to hear Bach being played, I thought you might have finished all your chores already." Ciel placed his fork down and opened his blue eye to stare at Rai.

Rai chuckled a bit before bowing slightly, "I'm deeply flattered, but that wasn't Bach, Phantomhive. That was Mozart."

"You'll address him as 'My lord', 'Master Ciel' or-" Sebastian began to snap at her for being so informal to Ciel, when he saw Ciel raise his hand to silence him.

"Very well, then you must have completed your chores?" Ciel asked again.

"Yes, all the rooms have been dusted, aired out, swept, mopped, and organized. The rugs taken out and beaten, flowers in vases watered, books and papers and other miscellaneous things organized and placed in their proper places, and even the highest and tightest of places were dusted and cleaned." Rai stated. Ciel was not that impressed, seeing that Sebastian could have done the exact same thing with the same amount of time. "Even the front galley was cleaned top to bottom, all the low candles were replaced and the column heads dusted as well."

"Very good, it seems that you have done more than asked," He stated, folding his hands in front of his mouth.

"As I go along doing one chore, I see what would be easiest to do next or what needs to be done next." Rai stated, giving a slight bow.

Ciel nodded slightly before stating, "You might not have been told, but a little later on, one of my business associates will be coming by. I wish for you and the others to greet him," He opened his eye and looked dead straight at Rai. "And for you to be on the lookout for anything suspicious," Ciel only got a soft smile and slight bow from Rai.

"Of course," Rai stated.


	4. Chapter 4

The four plus Rai, waited outside, in the sun, for the man to arrive; Finnian leaning on Bard to get some sleep, Mey-rin slouching slightly, Tanaka sipping his tea, and Rai standing straight, looking off into the distance and hands behind her back. Rai heard a carriage in the distance. Over the hill and through the trees and under the gate came a carriage with extremely tired horses. Rai glared slightly at the carriage driver as they pulled up. The horses' heads were locked high; they were sweating profusely, and breathing rapidly. The driver jumped down and opened the door, everyone bowed deeply, except Rai who only bowed slightly at the waist.

"Good evening sir," They chimed together.

"Ah, yes, very good evening indeed." A male voice stated. Everyone straightened and the driver shut the door. Mey-rin took the liberty of walking up to the man and guiding him into the manor. Rai walked down the steps to the carriage, and began to unhook the poor equines.

"What in bloody hell are you doing to those horses?" The driver yelled fiercely to Rai as she detached their heads and they immediately dropped them down low, almost to the ground.

"These poor animals are tired and worn out from you running them all this way." Rai stated as she reached to unhook the straps from the harnesses which connected the two horses to the carriage. His large hairy hand shot out and grabbed Rai's thin wrist.

"Awe, no you don't missy! These here horses belong to my lord and ain't nobody be touching them but me and my stable boys!" Rai glared at him as he yanked her hand away. Bard and Finnian watched in horror as this fat man tried to boss Rai around. Rai quickly yanked her hand out of his chubby fingers and continued to unhook the horses.

"They are on Phantomhive property and are in the care of the Phantomhive servants," Rai stated sternly. The shafts hit the ground and the horses were about to collapse. "I'll be taking care of the horses now. Bard, Finni, Tanaka!" Rai called to the men. "Take these two and get them a stall, water and untack them, they need to be rested." Tanaka was there in a heartbeat and took one of the horses by the reins and began to walk it to the stable.

"Awe, no you don't!" The man lashed out and grabbed Rai by the collar of her shirt and lifted her up into the air slightly. "A little wench don't tell me what to do." He growled at her through clenched teeth.

"I request that you remove your hand promptly from my collar before this turns ugly," Rai stated in a monotone voice, looking dead at him with her brown eyes.

"Rai-sama!" Finnian cried. The horse they were trying to lead suddenly went down and was in the midst of a heat stroke. It was heavily breathing and sweating continuously. Rai glanced to her right and saw the poor steed down. Bard was trying to get the horse to stand up, while Finnian was trying to push the beast from behind, but it wasn't budging.

"Bard," Rai called out to him. He stopped pulling and looked at her before starting to panic slightly.

"Rai-sama, what the hell are you doing!?" Bard yelled.

"Calm down and listen to me," Rai sighed. "Bard, take off the harness and bridle. Finny, go get some buckets of water and towels." Finnian looked at Rai and nodded before taking off to get buckets of water. Bard began to take the heavy harness off the poor animal. Rai turned back to the man holding her up by her collar. "This is the last time I am going to ask nicely for you to put me down."

"Hahaha, you think that will make me drop ya?" The man sneered behind his mustache.

"Oh well, you asked for it," Rai sighed, closing her eyes. She opened them again and glared right into his. She brought her hand up and grabbed his hand, giving it a slight twist to the outside. His hand let go of her collar and she landed on her feet.

"What the?" The man's mouth went slack as his hand disobeyed him. He stared at his hand that he couldn't control anymore. Rai took her free left hand and did a quick, barely noticeable, knife hand to the pressure point on the back of his neck. His eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out, falling flat on his fat face. Rai turned her attention to the poor animal lying helplessly on the ground. It was on its stomach and Bard was having a hard time trying to get the main harness off, with all the buckles and pieces of leather, it was tricky. Rai came over and began to help out.

"Bard, here, let me help." Rai said as she dragged the long reins through the loops and handed them to Bard to hold. Tanaka came back. Rai knelt on the ground and began to unbuckle the main harness, before sliding it back and taking off the crupper from under the horse's tail, and unbuckling the last pieces before setting the entire harness down on the ground. "Tanaka, how's the other horse?" She looked to her right at the chibi man who chuckled and nodded. "Can you go get a halter and rope for me please?" She asked Tanaka as she reached for the bridle and took it off the horse's head. Tanaka nodded and skipped back off to the stabling area. Finnian came running back with multiple buckets and several towels. "Good job, Finny." Rai stated as she rolled up her sleeves to above her elbows, took a bucket and began to slowly pour it on the overheating bay. "Finny, can you and Bard wet the towels and drape them across the horse's back to keep her kidneys cool?"

"No problem," Bard said as he dunked several towels into the water buckets and draped them over the horse's back.

"Now, slowly poor the water over the horse's back, if you run out, go get more, make sure it is cool, not cold or hot." Rai instructed as she knelt by the horse's head and scooped up some water and began to splash water on its neck and chest. "Do we have any more towels?" She suddenly felt a presence behind her and several towels drape over her left shoulder. She looked at the towels before looking up at the person who gave them to her. It was Sebastian. "Sebastian?" She asked.

"Uwah! What happened here!?" Mey-rin cried out over the railing as she saw the horse laying on the ground and the man lying face down.

"The horses were overheating; unfortunately, this one is the worst out of the two of them." Rai stated as she dunked a towel and draped it around the horse's neck. She took a couple scoops of water and let the water run down the horse's face. The other towel she wet and was wiping down the horse's face and nose.

"What's going on here?" A male voice called out over everyone. Rai just focused on the horse and kept splashing cool water on it. "I demand that you release my horse, this instant!"

"It seems your driver over exhausted your horses," Sebastian stated as he took off his tail coat and white gloves before pulling on rubber gloves and rolling up his sleeves to help. He grabbed the last towel off Rai's left shoulder and drenched it in water before running it up and down the horse's neck. Tanaka came back with a halter and rope for the horse, which he held onto.

"Tanaka, how is the other, still good?" Rai glanced over at him. He gave a thumbs up, which meant he was being taken care of and not in as bad of a condition as this one. "That's a relief." Rai sighed and wrapped her right arm around the massive animal's head and held it close to her, placing her cheek on its forehead. She didn't care if her clothes got wet, they would dry; she didn't care that her white shirt was almost see through and covered in horse hair along with the rest of her clothing. "Everything is going to be alright. We're here to take care of you." Rai told the horse. The horse let out a grunted sigh. She began to feel it push on her right arm. She pulled her face back to see it start to roll over onto its left side. "Don't you dare give up on me!" She stated sternly to the horse as she quickly wedged herself by its side and pushing on it so it couldn't roll over onto its left side.

"Oh, no! Rai-sama!" Mey-rin shouted as she saw Rai trying to hold up the 1,500 lbs. beast. Finnian saw what was happening and dropped his bucket and helped Rai to push the horse back up onto its stomach.

"I got him Rai-sama!" Finny stated with a slight grunt.

"Her, Finnian, it's a mare." Rai stated. "Here, come over here and support her neck, that way she won't roll over." Finnian slowly shifted to where Rai was and supported the horse by its shoulder and neck area. "You got her?" She asked as their space got fairly close.

"Yep, no problem," Finnian smiled at Rai. "You go and take care of her," Finnian stated as Rai let off the horse so her weight could be supported by Finnian, who seemed to take the weight quite easily. She went back to the mare's head and began to splash water on her neck and chest. Sometimes she put a little water on her head. Rai monitored the horse's labored breathing and heart rate, it wasn't good, but it was down from several minutes ago. Sebastian and Bard continued to put cool water on the mare. Rai wrapped her right arm around the horse's head again and pulled it close to her, placing her right cheek on its forehead.

She shushed it, like it was a scared child, "Everything is going to be alright. You're safe; we're not going to let anything happen to you." Rai whispered soothingly to the animal. "After this last bucket, that's enough water for now." Rai stated to Bard who was pouring water onto the horse's back. He nodded. Sebastian also nodded as he finished wetting a towel and wiping down the horse's neck.

"Should we try and give her some water?" Finnian asked.

"No, she would accidentally inhale it with her ragged breathing." Rai stated before shushing the animal again. It snorted. "There's a good girl." Rai said and it snorted several more times. Rai wiped the nasal discharge from the mare's nose. Rai's eyes closed and she turned her head so her nose and cheek were touching the horse. Her body language changed slightly. Several minutes passed and the horse let out a grunted sigh and went to lay down again. "No no no, don't do that." Rai quietly demanded. Finnian had to push to keep the mare from flattening him. The horse's breathing slowed down more, but it was still heaving. The workers stood there watching Rai and the horse. Rai just kept whispering to the horse. "Finnian," Rai said softly. "You can back up now." Finnian nodded and slowly moved away from the mare. "Can you try and stand up for me?" Rai whispered to the horse, stroking its head. As soon as Rai released the mare's head, the mare shoved her feet out in front of her and began to sit up. Rai stood up and watched the mare grunt and groan and stand up. "Good girl." Rai praised, coming back to the mare and wrapping her arms around its neck.

"Yahoo!" Finnian cheered. Tanaka walked up to Rai and wordlessly handed her the rope and halter. Rai quietly put the halter on the horse and led the horse to the stabling area, where she monitored the other horse while she walked the mare around to catch her breath. She made sure that both of the horses were alright; checking their pulse and guttural sounds before giving them food and feeling satisfied to leave them alone for a little while.

As soon as Rai returned to the manor, she quickly went inside and looked at the man who came into talk to Ciel. The man had blonde hair that went to his shoulders tied back into a low ponytail and blue eyes. He was clothed in rich purples with a white frilly ascot. He came over to Rai and bowed slightly. "I have to thank you for taking good care of my horses," He said. "I never knew they were in such poor condition." He stood up and looked at Rai, who looked at him. Puzzlement washed over his face. "Have we met before? You look awfully familiar." The man said as he looked Rai up and down. She knew where she had seen him before, but she didn't want to tell him.

"I'm sorry, sir. You must have me mistaken for someone else," She said and smiled at him. "I get that a lot." She faked her dialect very well to match the areas.

"Ah, I see, I must be mistaken. You looked like someone I used to work with." He said before turning to watch over his knocked out driver. Rai walked over to Ciel who wanted to talk to Rai in private anyways, since the incident.

"May I have a word with you, in private?" Rai leaned down and whispered into Ciel's ear, cupping her hand by the side of her mouth so nobody could read her lips. He nodded and followed her into a nearby room with Sebastian in tow. Once the door was shut she began to speak in a hushed voice. "I know that man," Rai stated flat out. She crossed her arms and looked over her shoulder at the closed doors as if she could see right through them, glaring.

"Yes, he is very well known because of his wealth and ways with trade." Ciel stated.

"No, he was part of an organization that was uprooted by my colleagues and myself a while ago." Rai cautiously stated as she turned and looked at Ciel. "They tried to ban together and over throw certain governments by using their power and money to fund private militaries." Ciel eyed her carefully. "Look, he's bad news if you're dealing with him. I wouldn't trust what he says."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ciel asked her.

Rai sighed, dropping her head, "Just because I am focused on one job doesn't mean I'm not on the lookout for my other jobs." Rai looked back up at him. "This guy is known for causing bankruptcy in major companies, yet nobody can prove it, until recently. All I have to do is bring him in to where my colleagues can get a hold of him and he'll be dealt with properly from there on out." Rai stated to Ciel.

"What proof do you have?" Ciel asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Financial records before and after he entered the company," Rai stated, still in a hushed tone.

"I see," Ciel stated, looking down to the floor.

"His buddy that passed out is also part of the scheme." Rai motioned her head to the door. She was meaning the driver.

"What shall we do with him then?" Ciel asked Rai. Rai turned and looked at him with a blank face before giving him a lopsided smirk.

"Let me contact my colleagues," Rai stated, "we'll handle things from there."

* * *

"We are very sorry about this dilemma, but we assure you that Sebastian here will take you straight to the town inn for you to stay at." Ciel stated to the man as Bard and Finnian threw his still unconscious driver into the back of a carriage several hours later.

"It's no trouble at all," the man stated. "I actually should be thanking you for the use of your steeds for transport." The man turned to look at the carriage. He turned back to Ciel and bowed. "It's a pleasure doing business with such a well-established young man." Ciel just nodded in return. The man hopped into the carriage and Tanaka closed the door. "It's getting dark, so we must be on our way," The man leaned out the carriage and spoke to Sebastian.

"Yes, sir," Sebastian stated and bowed slightly. He clucked the horses up to a walk and maneuvered them out to the road to the town.

"Bye!" The Phantomhive servants waved to the carriage. Rai was sitting on the back end of the carriage facing the manor as they left.

"What is Rai-sama doing up there!? And-" Mey-rin shouted out but Bard covered her mouth quickly to hush her. Rai just waved her black gloved hand and smiled as they pulled away. For the ride, Rai sat on the back edge of the carriage, watching the road pass by her in reverse. She sighed before looking down at her body wrapped in her black trench coat and laid back, her hands behind her head as she looked up at the twilit sky between the branches. She didn't want to make any noise, making the man in the cab suspicious may cause some trouble for her. Sebastian glanced over his right shoulder at the woman lying on the top of the carriage. She closed her eyes and fell into a light daze between sleep and awake.

'What is she up to?' He wondered as he forced himself to look forward.

The driver groaned as he came to. He then shot up, "Gah! Where is she? That devil woman!" He quickly looked back and forth around the cabin. "Huh? Why are we in a carriage?"

The man next to him sighed. "You idiot, you got knocked out, that's why." He kept his eyes closed and faced forward. It wasn't long until the carriage hit cobble stone and then came to a halt. "Ah, we must be here," The man said as he heard someone hop down from the carriage and come towards the door. Sebastian opened up the door and smiled at them.

"Hello, sir, we have arrived." Sebastian smiled. He stepped back and let the man climb out of the carriage, right into a circle of policemen with their guns drawn.

"I still want to know where the hell that devil wench went," The driver stated as he got out of the carriage and looked at the driver's seat before bumping into the back of the man in front of him. The door closed behind them. The driver backed up slightly before looking around. He was about to jump out of his skin.

"James F. Anderson and Thomas G. Thymes, you are hereby under arrest." The Sheriff stated as he cuffed both of them. The police had their hands full trying to drag them into the jail house. The Sheriff stood by Sebastian as he watched the two men get dragged into the building.

"We are innocent, you can't prove anything!" The driver shouted. He tried to squirm out of their grip back to the carriage.

"My, my, such a noisy bunch aren't they." Sebastian stated, his right index finger curing around his chin. Rai walked up next to him and stood there, watching the two try to struggle free from the law's grip.

"Huh? There! There she is! It's that devil woman! She's the one that did this to us!" The driver yelled at the cops who didn't even listen and kept pushing. The man looked over at what his driver was yelling about and saw that brown haired woman standing next to Sebastian. He glared at her as the doors shut tight behind the crowd.

"Well, that's going to be this year's best catch by far." The Sheriff stated before turning to Rai and tilting his dome like hat. "Pleasure doing business with ya, ma'am; It's always an honor to work with such a high ranking official as yourself."

"It's no problem, really," Rai turned to him and smiled slightly.

"You and your partner did good, ma'am. You both must be proud." The Sheriff bowed a little bit. "Give my regards to the heads of state and council men." He stated before he stood straight.

"Oh, he's not my partner," Rai said, correcting him. "He just helped. This is kind of a solo duty…" Rai said, looking off to the side.

"Ah, I see," The Sheriff stuck his thumbs in his belt. "Well, in that case, thank you sir. And, my lady," The Sheriff tipped his hat to Sebastian before bowing to Rai, who winced slightly. He turned and walked into the jail house. Rai stood there and watched the doors shut as Sebastian eyed her suspiciously.

"What?" Rai asked in a monotone and annoyed voice as she looked at him.

"Heads of state? Council men?" Sebastian asked.

"I told you I'm highly regarded, didn't I?" Rai asked, as she crossed her arms and looked at Sebastian who shrugged and got up onto the driver's platform. He grabbed the reins and sat down. Rai quickly hopped up there too.

"What are you doing?" He asked dully as she sat down beside him.

"What? Can't I sit up here with you?" Rai asked, slightly teasing. "Or do I have to sit on the roof again?" Sebastian just shook his head slightly and sighed. He moved his hands to get the horses to head for home. Rai folded her hands behind her head, crossed her left leg over her right, and leaned back to examine the stars as they exited the city. "The sky sure is beautiful at night." Rai muttered, letting out a sigh. Her breath clouding slightly, "I love it. It is so quiet, everyone is asleep, and you can just feel nature wrapping around you." Rai sighed as she closed her eyes. Sebastian glanced at her curiously out of the corner of his eyes. She opened them slowly. "I wonder why people are scared of the dark and afraid of night." There was a slight pause for about a minute, "But then again, they really don't know the night like I do." Rai started to drift off in thought letting the silence of the night take over between sentences. "They haven't seen its beauty like I have…" Rai then shook her head and sat up, uncrossing her legs. "Why am I telling you these things? You don't even care." Rai stated and then sighed. She placed her elbows on her knees and her chin in her right hand.

"Humans are fragile creatures and tend to fear the unknown and what they don't understand." Sebastian calmly told Rai after several seconds of silence. Rai glanced at him out of the corner of her left eye. Roughly half way to the manor Rai stood up suddenly and jumped off the carriage. Sebastian, not expecting this, pulled the horses to a halt. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked in a stern voice. Rai began to walk into the forest. She stopped and turned around to look at him.

"I need to go for a walk. I'll meet you back at the manor." Rai stated before she headed into the shadows she knew so well. Sebastian sighed, shaking his head. He watched the area where she disappeared a little longer before facing forward and clucking the horses onward. It was roughly several minutes before he heard a howl emanate from his right side. It didn't spook the horses like it normally would have, which he found odd. He listened to the howl, it was beautifully pitched and he was sure the tone could carry for miles. He heard several more howls creep up from nowhere. Several he could tell were dogs, while the others may actually have been wolves. It was almost a sad tune they sang, but they fluctuated the pitch and tone, causing it to carry a life of its own, like someone hitting a different key on the piano or running the bow across a different string on a violin. Though he detested the vile creatures, he still was amazed by their beauteous sound, except for the high pitched howls from the dogs. The serenade died down fairly quickly. Sebastian didn't realize he was looking around and locating where each individual voice came from until they stopped and he faced forward. They rounded a final curve before he was able to see the outline of the Phantomhive manor. He saw something in the middle of the road. It sat there, staring at the oncoming carriage. The horses stopped, not afraid of this large, four legged animal in the road. They, actually, seemed quite content with it being there. Sebastian was only able to look at it for so long before it stood up and headed off to the edge of the road and followed it towards the household. It appeared to be a large dog of some kind, perhaps a wolf hound? No, it was more muscular and larger than that. Could it have been a wolf? Nah, they didn't get that big, did they? The horses were urged on by Sebastian's command and they followed the trail back to their home.

* * *

Rai had slipped into the manor, undetected by the servants. She quickly changed, getting into her sleep wear and pulling on a thick grey blanket. She waited for a while until she heard footsteps pass her door. She waited for roughly fifteen minutes before she quickly and quietly opened her balcony doors, shut them and jumped down to the ground below. She stayed in the shadows and moved to the stable. She opened the door and shut it, making sure it locked. She slowly walked the isle and found where the two horses were stabled. "Hey, there," She called to the mare who was laying on the ground on her stomach. The mare lifted her head and looked behind her at Rai who then ducked under the wooden plank that kept the horses from coming out of their stalls. She came closer and wedged herself in the corner, by the mare's head. "I see they put a blanket on you and your buddy." She stated as the mare laid her head on top of Rai's lap. Rai stroked the mare's head and forelock before she wrapped herself tighter in the blanket and began to fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Mey-rin's voice rang throughout the manor. "WAAH!" Everyone stopped and turned to the dinning room doors as they flew open and Mey-rin rushed in babbling like crazy. "Master Ciel! Master Ciel! It's Rai-sama! She's gone! She's missing!"

"Huh?" Ciel quirked an eyebrow at his frantic maid. He had just put a piece of food into his mouth with a fork.

"She's gone, she is!" Mey-rin stated frantically, "I cannot find her anywhere!" The maid waved her hands around frantically, pointing here and there. "I looked for her all over, I did!" She began to ramble on about where she went to find the woman.

"Mey-rin calm down, I'm sure Rai is around here somewhere." Sebastian said calmly. He sighed at the frantic red head's mindless babbling. This ruckus so early in the morning would surely give anyone a headache.

"Who's around somewhere?" Bard came in with Tanaka and Finnian behind him.

"Rai-sama's gone missing!" Mey-rin shouted out to the trio.

"What? Where could she have gone?" Finnian asked, working up Bard and Tanaka.

Sebastian sighed and tried to calm the fray, "Calm down you four, I'm sure she's around here somewhere." He stated, placing his gloved fingers on his forehead. "Mey-rin, are you sure you checked everywhere?" Sebastian asked her.

"I did, sir!" Mey-rin stopped flailing for a bit. "I even knocked on the door to her room and she wasn't there!"

"You know, she is an early riser, so she might already be cleaning rooms and doing chores," Sebastian told the panicky bunch.

"I swear, I did! I checked every room in this here house and she was in none of them!" Mey-rin began to flail her arms again.

"Who was in none of them?" A female voice came from behind the four that were about to run around like chickens with their heads off. The four turned around to see Rai, dressed in her uniform and rags in hand with her hands on her hips in the door way.

"Rai-sama!" The four turned and glomped her. She stood there, stiff as a board and glared down annoyingly at them.

"Get off me," She growled at them.

"We were so worried, we were." Mey-rin told her.

"We all thought you left!" Finnian said.

"I said get off me!" She growled louder and shook everyone but Tanaka free. They fell to the ground; Rai pulled Tanaka off by the back collar of his suit and held him there. She had a slight scowl on her face. "Now, let's get things straight here, I am not going to leave this place until Ciel says I am no longer needed. I will not leave unannounced. I will either be in my room or doing my chores. So don't go off into a frenzy thinking I've upped and walked out." She let Tanaka go at the end of her statement.

"My, what a ruckus so early in the morning," Ciel sighed and closed his eye, tilting his head down slightly. "Be so kind as to deal with the four outside, Sebastian."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed and walked over to the four and kicked them out. Sebastian knew better than to try and do anything to Rai, she just walked out on her own so he didn't need to do anything. He closed the door so Ciel could eat in privacy.

"Aiya," Rai sighed, arms crossed. "I got up early this morning to check on the horses from yesterday and then began my chores around the house." Rai stated to the heap on the floor. Tanaka just chuckled and sipped his tea on top of the pile of humans. "Now, if you'll excuse me, some rooms have to be tended to." Rai turned and walked off into the manor to continue her job before it was interrupted by screaming and yelling.

* * *

It was roughly around lunch, when Rai had finished all of her chores and wondered into the kitchen. Though she'd normally refuse to cook anything and would rather stay out of it, she needed to make herself some of her favorite tea. Rai opened up the cabinets, trying to find a kettle that didn't look like it would be used for Ciel. She found one when Tanaka came up to her and tugged on her pant leg. She looked down to the small man and he held a kettle in his left hand. He held it up, offering it to her. "Oh, thank you, Tanaka. Would you like some tea, too?" Rai asked as she took the kettle. The man chuckled and nodded. "I hope you like it, this one is my favorite, it's not from around here." Rai smiled and turned to the sink to fill it up before lighting the stove and placing the kettle onto the stove. Rai had seen in a cupboard where the staff plates and cups were. She went over and grabbed Tanaka's 'Ocha' mug and grabbed a worn white cup as well. She leaned her elbows on the counter next to the stove, head in the palm of her right hand. She looked over her right shoulder as she heard the door to the kitchen open. It was Sebastian coming in to prepare lunch for Ciel. The kettle began to whistle and Rai stood up and took the pot. She pulled out a small bag, and set it into the kettle, closing the lid, letting the string hang out.

"Making tea?" Sebastian asked as he took up the middle wooden table with food and cutlery.

"For us, not for him…" Rai stated, wanting to get it straight. This was not for Ciel.

"I must say, that is a unique fragrance. I have never smelled it before." Sebastian said, getting to work on Ciel's lunch.

"It's not from around here." Rai stated, leaning on the end counter and placing her head back into her right palm. "It's not green tea; it turns a dark amber color, almost brown." Rai muttered. She opened the lid and pulled the string up before letting the bag sink back to the bottom, where she repeated to pull up again and let the bag sink to the bottom. Once the water was a nice dark amber color, Rai pulled the tea bag out and placed it in her cup; she liked it a little stronger. She poured half into Tanaka's cup and the rest into hers. She handed the small man his cup before going over to the sink and rinsing, drying, and placing the kettle back. She turned and took her cup as she leaned back against the counter and took in the fragrance. She then took a sip. Tanaka took a sip and let out a nice sigh. Rai smiled, "You like it?" She looked at the man who turned and nodded his head and chuckled before taking another sip. "Good, I'm glad." Rai stated, looking forward and taking a mouth full. She closed her eyes and let herself get washed over in the scent, taste, and memories it brought with the hot liquid.

"You like it, Tanaka?" Sebastian asked the man as he placed something into the oven. "Do you think the lord would like it?" Tanaka just chuckled and took another sip of his tea. Sebastian came up to Rai, who opened her eyes and looked at him over her cup. "May I?" He tried to work his charm.

Rai closed her eyes, "Make your own." She said bluntly before taking a small sip.

"Gladly, if I knew the ingredients," Sebastian stated.

Rai sighed with disgust before pulling another bag out of her pocket and handing it to him, "Here, take it." 'Just get away,' she thought. She didn't like how close he got to her, invading her bubble.

"Thank you," Sebastian bowed slightly as he took the small bag and string.

"If he's used to something else this will probably taste a little bitter," Rai stated, taking another sip. Rai set her cup down next to her on the counter. She stared out the small kitchen window for a while. "Well, I guess I am done for today." Rai said as she sighed. Rai stood up from her leaning position and took the cup with her. "I'll be around if anyone needs me." Rai called over her shoulder as she opened the door.

"Why don't you two stay and help me cook?" Sebastian asked over his shoulder.

"Tuh," Rai laughed slightly, "Do you want me to burn down this place?" She just walked through the door after Tanaka and closed it behind her.

* * *

Rai and Tanaka found themselves outside on a bench under a tree overlooking the horses in the pastures. Rai leaned back and sighed. "It's beautiful out. Such a nice day," Tanaka just chuckled in approval. Rai looked over the pastures and spotted the two carriage horses from yesterday. They were grazing and looked like that day didn't even faze them. They were in good condition, but the long drive and the sun didn't make a good combination, plus the fact they had to run almost the entire drive. Rai just stared blankly out over the horses, her mind wondering. Suddenly, a voice snapped her back to reality.

"Tanaka! Rai-sama! Lunch!" It was Finnian's voice calling from a window. Rai and Tanaka turned and looked up. Finnian was leaning out a window waving to them. Rai sighed and looked to Tanaka.

"Go on ahead; I'll be there in a bit." Rai told Tanaka who nodded and hopped off the bench. He walked back into the manor. "We're coming!" Rai shouted over her shoulder to Finnian who then leaned in and closed the windows. However, Rai just sat there, not moving, not wanting to get up. Rai heard footsteps approaching her and she looked to her left out of the corner of her eye. The four came up with food, a blanket and plates.

"You have the right idea, Rai-sama," Bard stated, holding the plates.

"It's such a nice day out," Mey-rin stated, adjusting her glasses as she looked up at the sky. "We thought we should have a picnic!" Tanaka helped Finny lay out the blanket on the ground. Bard set out the plates and Tanaka dug into the food and split it up between the five of them. It was a nice day to have a picnic outside, especially under the shade of the tree. The four all sat around the blanket and started to mindlessly chat to one another while they ate. They gave Rai half of a sandwich; she took several bites, but didn't finish it. Rai set the small plate on her lap and became distant as she gazed out over the pastures.

* * *

"She is a strange one, that Rai." Sebastian told Ciel as they looked down on the five people having a picnic.

"Are you getting jealous, Sebastian?" Ciel smirked. Sebastian's eyebrow twitched slightly.

"There's something about her that's not… human…" Sebastian mentioned to the young master, making sure Ciel knew what he was getting into with this 'woman'. Ciel just smirked as he saw Rai turn her head up and look at them from her spot on the bench under the shade of the tree.

"That's one reason I hired her." Ciel stated before turning and walking back into the manor.

"I just hope you know what you are getting into, young master." Sebastian muttered as he held open the door before following Ciel through it and closing it behind them.

* * *

The next day was a particularly cloudy and rainy day. Rai walked into the foyer and saw a tall ladder with the tipsy maid on top, trying to light the candles. "Mey-rin!" She gasped. Mey-rin flailed a little before grabbing the rocking ladder. "What on earth are you doing up there? Get down here and let me take care of that!" Rai demanded. Mey-rin slowly climbed down.

"I'm sorry, Rai-sama," Mey-rin apologized. "But, the master wanted the chandelier lit." Mey-rin bowed slightly.

"Here, I'll take it." Rai opened her hand out to take the matches from the maid. Rai went to the ladder and kicked out one of the legs to make it more stable. "Please stay here in case I need you." Rai told Mey-rin before ascending the ladder. She reached the top.

"Be careful up there, Rai-sama!" Mey-rin called from below.

"Tuh, you don't have to tell me twice," Rai muttered to herself. She did not like heights one bit, but when it came to her job, it was nothing. However, this was way different; she was standing on a 12-15 foot ladder near a chandelier. She did not like this one bit. Her legs felt weak so she leaned on the ladder for support as she leaned slightly to reach the chandelier. She tried to light the matches, they refused to light. "How many of these did you use?" Rai called down to Mey-rin.

"Uh, heh heh heh." Mey-rin chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

"Great," Rai sighed to herself, glaring at the chandelier. 'It would be a lot easier if I could-' Rai's eyes widened slightly. She glanced down; Mey-rin was intently watching her. Rai then heard, or made, something sound like it crashed to the floor. Mey-rin whipped around and looked down a hall.

"What was that?" Mey-rin jumped. Rai took this opportunity to make a right handed Tiger sign with her hand and blew slightly. A flame appeared from the tips of her right index and middle finger and wrapped around the chandelier in a thin line, lighting all the candles.

"What was what?" Rai asked as she looked down at Mey-rin.

"That crash, I thought I heard something fall." Mey-rin stated.

"I didn't hear anything," Rai said as she descended the last two rungs of the ladder and got onto sweet terra firma.

"I know I heard something. I know I did!" Mey-rin began to flail her arms slightly.

"Well, I'm down off the ladder, so you can go check it out." Rai told her and she quickly bolted off down the hall before tripping over a rug and falling flat of her face. "Maybe, that is what she heard fall…" Rai muttered to herself, her left hand still on one of the rungs of the ladder.

"Ya done using that ladder yet, Mey-rin?" Bard's voice came. "Finnian needs it to clean the gutters before it starts to rain." Bard came in to see Rai by the ladder.

"Oh, hello. Yes we are all done with the ladder, you can take it now." Rai stepped away from the ladder as Bard began to take it down. Bard was able to take it outside, where it would do less damage, along with Rai's careful guidance. "I hope you're helping him, Bard," Rai told him before shutting the door. "If he's up there by himself when the storm hits, the manor isn't the only thing that's gonna get hit around here," Rai warned him as he smiled and walked off to find the boy. Rai closed the doors with Tanaka's help. Mey-rin came back dazed and confused.

"I swear I heard something fall." Mey-rin was muttering to herself. "I swear I did." Rai turned and walked to the center of the foyer and examined the chandelier, backs of her hands on her hips. Rai then looked forwards to the stairs and trudged up them. Tanaka followed behind her till he reached the stairs. "Rai-sama?" Rai heard Mey-rin's voice call as she stopped two steps form the flat and looked behind her and down. "Where are you going?"

"I have a feeling those two are going to get caught in the rain," Rai stated then looked off to the side slightly. "So, why not bring them fresh clothes to change into and not dirty up the manor?" Rai then continued up the flight and made a right and up the stairs to where she had seen the boy's bed room. Tanaka happily skipped up the stairs after her to help. Mey-rin also followed Tanaka, however she tripped. Tanaka turned and looked at her, waiting for her to get up before continuing to skip after Rai.

* * *

Bard and Finnian burst into the door and slammed it shut behind them. They were panting and wet. "Why did we have to put that stupid ladder away? We wouldn't have had to stand out in the rain longer if we just left it there." Bard panted out, leaning against the door. Finnian was crouched over, hands on his knees.

"Do you want to face the wrath of Sebastian? Or worse, Rai-sama!?" Finny looked over to Bard and huffed. Finnian then dropped his head down and saw a cloth beneath their feet. It was purposely put there for a reason. Finny followed the cloth to his right and saw two neatly stacked clothes and two pairs of shoes, both were his and Bard's clothes! And there was a note on top of them. He walked up and picked up the paper to read.

"Whatcha' got there Finny?" Bard asked as he came over to investigate.

 _Finnian and Bard,_

 _Please feel free to change into dry clothes. I had a feeling you two were going to get stuck in the rain._

 _Make sure to take off your dirty shoes as well, a linen bag has been provided for both your shoes and clothes. They will get tended to._

 _Rai_

"Well, that was awfully nice of 'er," Bard said as he grabbed his clothes and proceeded to change. Finnian did the same and quickly put their clothes and the cloth they were standing on in the linen bags along with their shoes. They had completely changed and Tanaka came by holding out his hands to take the bags.

"Oh, thank you Tanaka," Finnian smiled to the old man.

* * *

Rai was in the library and began to browse Ciel's massive personal collection of books. She read almost each spine of the leather bound books, until she came to one she was interested in and pulled it from the shelf and set it down next to the others on the table. She was mostly browsing under 'Myths, Fables, and Legends' along with some 'History' books that had the content she wanted. Unfortunately for her, the subject she was looking for was well known, but barely written about since nobody knew the origin of the subject or barely knew anything of how it happened. As Rai finished scanning the last row of books in the library, she muttered to herself, "I wonder if they have it on any scrolls." She muttered, finger tips on her chin as she scanned the last couple of books. She stood up and dropped her hand as she walked over to the shelves holding vast amounts of scrolls. "Probably not," Rai quickly scanned them, finding nothing. "Interesting how this is an international event that changed the world and yet barely anyone has any record of it ever existing or occurring. Yet, when people deny it to me, what better evidence is there when it's standing right in front of them?" Rai sighed as she turned to her small collection of roughly seven books. The books began to float up and around Rai as she double checked the area around her and outside the room and locked the door. The books circled her and opened up to her desired pages as she stood in the middle, right index finger curled around her chin and left arm across her waist as she quickly read some of the brief sayings about the incident. She released her chin and moved her right finger to the right, causing the book in front of her to flip to the next page. She squinted; there was barely anything on it in this book. She looked to the next and used her entire hand, like she was gently pushing something to the left, which caused the book in front of her to close and reshelf itself properly before the book to her right took its place. "I wonder if it's because humans are too scared to even recall such a time, or are just too afraid to remember it and keep it hidden from future generations." Rai muttered as she began to read the next book. "Or maybe it just happened so fast, nobody knows what really happened." She waved her hand on this book, reshelf the book, and move on to the next. "Nah, it can't be that." Rai banished another book back to its shelf. "It has to be because they feel that if they write it down, it might happen again." Rai read another book. She banished that one, and the next, and the next. Even the last one barely had anything. She sighed in frustration. "There has to be something here." Rai looked around again. "I'll take a fable, a myth, anything." She muttered to the library. She closed her eyes and scanned the library again. Nothing. She sighed, the next best thing, the Undertaker. However, she wasn't going to go out in this storm. She looked out the window as the rain came down in blankets. Lightning struck and thunder rumbled as Rai turned to face forward and sighed, dropping her head. She unlocked the door and opened it, closing it behind her as she went through the threshold. Rai had wandered her way up stairs and into her room. She was bored; she didn't know what else to do. "Maybe I should clean them now," Rai muttered as she stood up from leaning on her door and walked over to the cabinet.

By the time the storm had opened up and unleashed all of its fury, Rai was now down to cleaning the last of her items. She went to the cabinet and placed the others away and took out the long bag. She sat down; on a worn blanket she used for cleaning, back to the door and opened up the bag revealing a cloth bag. She untied it and let it slide down to reveal the beautifully hand crafted handle of a katana. The katana was carefully removed from its bags and unsheathed from its black holster. Rai eyed the metal piece for any nicks and scratches. She had to clean it properly with oil. She placed a piece of folded paper in her mouth as she began to take a cotton ball and tweezers and dab the oil onto the blade, all the while watching the blade for marks, indicating weak points. She was almost done, she held the blade in front of her and inspected the slightly reflective surface as the storm came to a drizzle. Rai looked up and out her windows to see that the storm was moving on. She had just looked back down and started the finishing touches on spots she had missed when a knock came from the door. "Hmm?" She turned her head to look over her left shoulder at the door. "Come in," She said out of the corner of her mouth around the piece of paper. Sebastian opened the door and took several steps in and gave a slight glare to Rai.

"Oh," He stated, "So that's what you're doing in here?" He muttered, glaring at the shiny sword in her hands. Rai turned back to her sword and finished oiling it and quickly wiped off the excess oil before standing up.

"Oh?" She mocked his tone of voice. She had the scabbard in her left hand and flung the blade to her right, as if to rid it of excess liquid and then sheathed it on her hip. "What else would I be doing?" She said as she heard the soft click of the hilt hitting the scabbard. She let her right hand drop and looked over at Sebastian in the doorway. "What do you want?" Rai asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"The young lord would like your assistance with something." Sebastian gave a slight head bow, out of habit, not out of respect.

Rai sighed, looking forward, "Yeah, alright. I'll be there in a bit." She bent over and snatched up the silk lined cloth bag and placing her beloved sword into it before tying it shut and placing it in the long shoulder bag. She finished by placing it in the cabinet and then folding up the worn blanket and placed it in the cabinet before closing it and looking to the door. "Why are you still here?" She asked as she started towards the door.

"He wished for me to bring you back with me," Sebastian stated as he turned sideways to let her pass him through the door before he closed it behind them. Sebastian led the way to where Ciel was sitting in his office. As they were walking, Rai suddenly had a chill go up her back and her head became slightly numb. Something wasn't right, she always got this feeling when something was about to happen, something bad. She looked at the back of Sebastian's head, he didn't look at her, so he must have not felt anything, or maybe he was hiding it. Sebastian opened the door and walked in first before Rai and closed the door behind her.

"You wished to speak with me?" Rai asked Ciel, who was at his desk with scattered pieces of paper and several books open on the edges. He looked up from the paper to Rai with a slightly bored pout on his face. Sebastian wished he'd smacked her on the back of the head as he passed by for being so informal in front of Ciel. But, then again, he'd get chewed out by the little brat.

"Judging by your different customs and accent, you're not from around here." Ciel stated as he placed the papers down on the desk. "So, you must be bilingual." Ciel then held out the papers he was holding for her to take and look at. Rai stepped forward and took the pieces of paper he held out to her. They seemed to be damp.

'Where they outside?' Rai wondered as she looked at the papers. As she skimmed the papers, the characters seemed familiar. It was her native language, but none of the characters put together made any sense. Rai cocked an eyebrow. 'Giving a cat a pacifier, what the-?' She closed her eyes and placed her right finger tips on her forehead. She sighed, "It's a code; something that has to be understood by others in order for it to make any sense."

"In what language?" Ciel asked, tapping the desk with his finger.

"My native language, as you suspected." Rai sighed. She looked over the documents again, seeing if she missed anything. "Where did you get these?" She flipped to the next page, no insignias, no signatures, no seals, no stamps, no… nothing…

"The yard dropped them off," Ciel stated. "A foreigner, who they found as a stowaway, had these on him." Ciel was bored and now playing with something that was rolling along the desk top.

"Foreigner?" Rai questioned. She quickly glanced up to Ciel then back to the papers, looking for any telltale signs of who wrote the notes or what was going on. Rai walked up to Ciel's desk and placed the papers out in front of him. "Most of what is being said is code, which can be deciphered later, but what my big concern is the improperly used characters in the sentences where they absolutely don't belong." Rai pointed to one of the characters. "Like this for example, it's not with the character, like the others, it's slightly above the margin line."

Ciel took one of the papers and looked at it. "I don't see any difference; they all look like they are in line with each other." Ciel looked up at Rai.

"Of course, it's to be expected of one who doesn't know the characters and the language," Rai gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, leaning on the desk. She opened her eyes, 'But that's not my biggest concern. These characters and uses of nouns for codes look all too familiar.' "Was this all that they had on the guy?"

"I don't know," Ciel leaned back into his chair. "They only brought these documents here."

Rai sighed, "Alright." She took one last look at the papers before standing up straight. "I had to go into town anyways, might as well go to the yard, too." Rai stated before turning around and walking to the door. She heard a chair move as she opened the door.

"We'll come with you," Ciel stated. "Get my things, Sebastian." He told the tall man next to him, who nodded.

"No," Rai's stern voice pierced the air sharply. "No, stay here. I don't want to bore you with my duties that need to be tended to." Rai replied, in a slightly softer tone. She walked out the door and closed it behind her.

There was a several minute pause before Ciel spoke, "Follow her." He commanded Sebastian.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian placed his hand over his heart and bowed slightly.

* * *

Rai was already out the door in several minutes, dressed in knee high black boots, tight black pants, black buttoned up trench coat hiding her beloved Berettas, black leather gloves on her hands, and Sebastian watched her from the roof top. 'Is she planning on walking all the way?' He cocked an eyebrow as she exited the gates, stopped, pulled the end hem of her left gloved hand, and began to walk to her left. She suddenly sprinted off along the side of the path. 'Apparently, yes.' Sebastian told himself as he quickly followed the woman. It was unfortunate for Sebastian that Rai noted eyes on her as she exited the front doors of the manor. She quickly ran through the woods as Sebastian tailed her, not too closely, but close enough.

Nearing the town, she slowed to a walk and appeared on the path. She walked among the sparsely populated streets of the town. The bad weather must have driven most to stay inside, while the others were forced out for some reason. Like she said, she had errands to run. She stopped by several different shops, going in and coming back out several minutes later. She even quickly chatted with the black smith as he sat there smoking a cigarette on his stool while taking a break. All the while Sebastian watched from the thin crowd in the streets. She then turned down a rarely used alleyway and then turned again down another way. Sebastian followed. When he turned a familiar corner, he wasn't expecting Rai to be standing right there and almost bumped right into the glaring woman.

"What are you doing?" Rai asked in a stern low tone as she glared up at him, hands on her hips. "Why are you following me?" Sebastian backed up a step and bowed slightly.

"My lord wished for me to keep an eye on you," He said in a monotone voice.

Rai sighed, closing her eyes and crossing her arms, "So, the brat doesn't trust me?" She asked him as he stood up straight. "What does he think I'm going to do? Sell him out?" She sighed again. "Look, if he was worried that I might do something, he should have said so and have someone come along with me. Not hide and spy." Rai turned and began to walk down the street again. "Which, by the way, you need to work on. You're fairly easy to sense, especially someone with your presence." Rai stated over her left shoulder and continued to walk until she came to a wooden door surrounded by coffins.

"I am very sorry for that, I will work on it," Sebastian gave a slight bow. He was mocking Rai rather than taking her comment seriously. He followed behind her as he walked through the same door he had so many times before.

"Well, look who it is, heeheehee~." The man behind the desk chuckled. He had long silver hair, a black robe, and black hat. Rai quickly scrunched her nose in disgust. She never liked the smell in this place, but it was better than most of the other places she has been. "If it isn't-"

"Shut it, Undertaker." Rai quickly snapped at him before he let her alias slip.

He chuckled again with his wide toothy grin, "And what do we have here? Heeheehee~, if it isn't Sebastian, heeheehee~. But where's the young master I wonder, heeheehee~." Undertaker brought his sleeve covered hands up and clapped them together. "If he's not here, then you must know this young one, heeheehee~." Rai's eyebrow twitched slightly. She walked forward to the counter, arms still crossed. "Now, if you'll only tell me a joke, I'll let you have a casket for free, heeheehee~. That is when you're finished with your duties at the manor, heeheehee~." Rai's right hand quickly shot across the counter and snagged the Undertaker's collar and brought him closer to her as she placed her left hand on the counter to balance herself.

"I'm not here for games, Undertaker," Rai growled at him. "You know why I came here. Now stop this foolishness and do your job!" Rai snapped at him.

Undertaker chuckled, "So impatient today, heeheehee~."

"I'm on a tight schedule, especially when I'm being tailed by an extra shadow." Rai muttered and glanced over her shoulder at the tall man standing by the door.

"Now, if you'll care to release me, I shall get what you came for, heeheehee~." Rai let Undertaker go and he dropped only several inches. He straightened up and turned to walk out from behind the desk and into the back. "This way, heeheehee~." He waved as he went into the back. Rai followed and glanced at Sebastian as he started to move towards them, following her to the back. With how Rai was acting, Sebastian was sure he would see Rai get a bone, human flesh, or maybe even human blood; he was slightly shocked to find that all she came here for was a stack of very ancient books. "Heeheehee~, where these the ones you were looking for? Heeheehee~." Undertaker chuckled as he placed the pile on the small table. Rai quickly scanned the spines.

"Yes, these are them." Rai responded. "But there should be several others."

Undertaker chuckled, "Ah yes, heeheehee~. I had a bit of trouble trying to get my hands on those, heeheehee~. Since they were under the heavily guarded sector, heeheehee~. But I was able to get them by using your authority and stamp, heeheehee~." Undertaker held one hand up to his mouth as he turned and grabbed a chest with a heavy lock and chain and spirit tags, or sutras. "All four are in here, heeheehee~."

"Thank you," Rai stated as she flipped through one of the books. "I would have gone myself, if I wasn't so busy." Rai muttered. She placed the book back and reached into her coat. Sebastian came up and was about to take a stack when red electricity shocked him slightly as he touched it. He stepped back. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to help you carry them," Sebastian stated as he watched the steam subside from his hands.

"No, you're not." Rai stated as she pulled out a scroll and unraveled it. Rai laid the scroll on the counter and swiftly grabbed a quill from its ink stall and began to write several things on the scroll. As she put the quill back, books began to float one by one onto the parchment and suddenly poofed away, leaving their names in ink on the scroll. Heck, even the chest poofed onto the scroll, only it remained as a picture of a heavily chained and locked chest rather than names. Rai let the loose end of the scroll go and it quickly coiled back around the main post, like a spring recoiling. She put the scroll back into her jacket. "There are much simpler methods than using ones hands, using one's head." Rai stated as she finished putting the scroll away. Sebastian looked on in slight disbelief and awe.

'She really is a devil,' ran through Sebastian's mind. As if on cue, Rai glared at him out of the corner of her left eye when he finished that thought. She looked back at Undertaker.

"Thank you, Undertaker." Rai said as she turned to leave his shop. "This was greatly appreciated."

"Heeheehee~, take care now, heeheehee~." He smiled and waved them off. Rai moved with slight purpose in her step to get to the yard. Sebastian had no problem keeping up with her.


End file.
